Assessment by Pupils, Teachers and Parents of School Coexistence Problems in Spain, France, Austria and Hungary: Global Psychometric Data

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze school coexistence in different European countries. A total of 2,196 pupils, teachers and parents from Spain, France, Austria and Hungary participated by filling out a school coexistence questionnaire, translated into the corresponding languages. The results obtained indicate a greater prevalence of school conflict in France and Austria, being lower in Spain and lower still in Hungary. It is also found that teachers’ perception of coexistence problems is different from that of pupils. Teachers perceive as more frequent “serious” problems of coexistence (related to drug abuse, presence of aggressive objects or intercultural problems), while pupils score as more frequent “milder” coexistence problems. The results also indicate a differentiation between two types of conflict as important aspects of coexistence: on the one hand, conflicts involving aggression; and on the other, general apathy and disaffection at the school.